The campaign against the LTTE ("Tamil Tigers") terrorist / secessionist movement by the Sri Lankan Army has been a success on the battlefield. A grinding campaign of reduction has confined the last of the LTTE combat forces to a tiny patch of land in the far northeast of the country... but that patch of land is a previously designated "no-fire" zone to allow civilians to escape the horrors of combat.
Apparently the LTTE considered that a license to simply hold all those people as a sort of hostage. In previous battles, the LTTE has prevented civilians from fleeing to government-controlled territory (in at least one U.N.-reported case, by shooting them). Even so, over 65,000 civilians have been brought out of the danger area so far and are under protection. Sadly, tens of thousands more are still in danger.
The Sri Lankan Army has declared a 2 day operational pause to allow time for civilians to flee the last LTTE-held area (if they can) during the local New Year's Holiday. The LTTE's apologists in the media are sneering at this, and if reports of LTTE firing are confirmed, it seems the remaining militants are sneering at the offer as well.
Those above-mentioned apologists are also orchestrating protests in a number of foreign countries, one of which demolished the Sri Lankan Embassy in Norway. So much for the responsibility to protect diplomatic facilities.
Very well; two days to try and save the innocent...
...then roll it up. End this thing once and for all. Don't Ease Up.
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